Network Instruments Gigabit Probe Appliance Gigabit and 10 GbE Probe Appliance Overview Network Instruments' hardware-based Gigabit and 10 GbE Probe Appliance is specifically designed for administrators that require wire-speed, full-duplex capture. Probes provide a direct, passive link into the data stream, offering an impendent, proven, and trusted view of network traffic. Deploy a Gigabit or 10 GbE Probe Appliance to add gigabit or 10 GbE analysis, statistics, trending, and reporting to any Observer Expert or Observer Suite console.

With an industry-leading 24 GB memory buffer (maximum) and the Gen2 Gigabit Capture Card, the probe appliance is the ideal solution for ensuring complete and accurate captures on your full-duplex links.

Both the Gigabit and the 10 GbE Probe Appliance include a 64-bit core, maximizing analysis with faster processing and larger capture buffers.

Configuration Choice

Gigabit Probe Appliance

• For full-duplex gigabit links
• Monitor up to eight ports
• Switch between copper and optical links

10 GbE Probe Appliance

• For full-duplex 10 GbE links
• Provides real-time Expert analysis
• Hardware-based filtering and statistics

Industry-Leading Performance

• Ensure full-duplex, wire-speed capture on high utilisation links
• Capture large amounts without packet loss with up to a 24 GB buffer
• Localised processing on the probe minimises network overhead

Real-Time Analysis

• Obtain metrics in real time such as Top Talkers, VLAN analysis, and application statistics
• Solve issues immediately with a comprehensive Expert system with nanosecond resolution
• Perform packet captures and review statistics that adhere to RMON1/RMON2 and HCRMON
• Utilise network trending and reporting features such as comparison reports and web reporting
• Manage VoIP communication with an enterprise-strength VoIP expert

Transparency with an nTAP™

• Insert and remove the probe without network disruption
• Acquire an independent view of data flow
• Eliminate dependence on a SPAN or mirror port
• Ensure full-duplex, wire-speed passive analysis

Easy to Deploy

• 4U rack-mountable unit
• Fits seamlessly into the Network Instruments Distributed Network Analysis (NI-DNA™) architecture
• Reports back to the award-winning Expert Observer and Observer Suite console
• Configure as a local console for on-site analysis

Includes an nTAP to Ensure Complete Full-Duplex Captures
The analyser has the ability to perform full-duplex, wire-speed analysis for copper and optical fibre networks. All configurations of the Gigabit Probe Appliance include an internal ntap that provides a copy of all traffic to the analyser. In case of gigabit over fibre (i.e. optical) networks, the ntap splits the optical signal, providing one signal to the network and the other signal to the analyser. In the case of gigabit over copper, the ntap electronically duplicates the gigabit signal—sending one signal to the network, and the other signal to the analyser. With an ntap the data flow always remains unaltered and uninterrupted. In the case of the 10 GbE Probe Appliance, it can include an internal optical ntap but copper TAPs are sold separately.

High-Capacity RMON Probe Appliance
The High-Capacity RMON (HCRMON) Probe Appliance from Network Instruments is built for high-capacity full-duplex analysis with any RMON management console or collection facility. This supports the RMON standard, HCRMON, as detailed in RFCs 2577 and 3273. This appliance comes complete with all hardware necessary as a ready-to-go system, including ntaps and the Gen2 Gigabit Capture Card. The HCRMON system provides network administrators with:

• A direct, passive link into the data stream, offering an independent, proven, and trusted view of network traffic
• Full adherence to all 21 RMON groups, including HCRMON for complete data collection
• Compatibility to any RMON management console or collection facility (i.e. Observer Suite, OpenView, Concord, Micromuse)

Utilise with Expert Observer and Observer Suite
The Gigabit Probe works with the award-winning Observer Expert and Observer Suite console to provide the most comprehensive packet-capture, decode, real-time statistics, expert analysis, network trending and network reporting in the industry.

Observer features include:

• Nanosecond resolution for enterprise-level networks
• Graphical filter rule editor for creating complex filters effortlessly
• Over 550 protocol and countless sub-protocol decodes
• Over 570 Expert events to speed troubleshooting
• Triggers and Alarms for immediate alerts on activities or errors
• Application analysis statistics including response time and total/failed transactions for common applications such as SQL, MS Exchange, Oracle, VoIP, and DNS